Home sales in Brunswick County jumped more than 20 percent in March this year compared to March 2015, according to a news release from the Brunswick County Association of Realtors.

The county's residential real estate sale statistics continued to show steady and seasonal increases in March compared to the previous year’s and month’s sales numbers, the release said. The numbers were also up in the first quarter of 2016.

In terms of dollars, total home sales increased about 14 percent between March 2015 and last month, from $55.6 million to nearly $63.7 million, and 47 percent over February’s sales of $43.4 million.

The number of single-family homes sold rose 21.3 percent, from 221 to 268, between 2015 and 2016, and listings jumped 25.7 percent, from 439 to 552.

“Spring selling season is definitely gearing up in Brunswick County,” said Cynthia Cumbie, CEO of BCAR, in the release. “Our Realtors are working hard and seeing positive signs of an active spring and summer in residential sales.”

Sales dollars in the first quarter of 2016 increased 18 percent over the first quarter of 2015, from $125 million to $147.5 million, while the number of units sold rose 27 percent, from 168 to 213. The average number of listings jumped nearly 28 percent between 2015 and 2016, from 394 to 504, while the average sales price dipped.

BCAR's statistics are based on the N.C. Regional MLS, covering all of Brunswick County. 

“Days on the market did not show any large increases in the first quarter,” Cumbie stated. “The real estate market in southeastern North Carolina continues to get stronger as we move into spring and summer.”

Brunswick continues to see a steady supply of new homes under construction. Cameron Moore, executive officer of the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association, said in a presentation Monday that Brunswick County's single-family construction permit numbers remained steady even during the Great Recession.

Moore, who was sharing information related to a housing report presented in conjunction with the Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors, said in an average year, his association expects to see around 480 single-family permits pulled for Brunswick, many for home sites in the northeastern section of the county.

For New Hanover County, single-family home sale numbers also remained on the rise in March and during the first quarter in comparisons to 2015, according to statistics released Monday.
 

Brunswick County home sales stats for March

Listings	Units sold	Avg. sale price	Total volume
2015: 439	221	$251,779	$55,643,215
2016: 552	268	$237,498	$63,649,400
25.7%	21.3%	-5.7%	14.4%